Almost the Prisoner of Azkaban
by Vexatious Marauder
Summary: Harriet has, to her utter dismay, become the owner of a book that not tells her that the first people she's trusted since her parents deaths is going to be murdered, but also that the boy she's starting to fall for is a murderer. Why her! Reading POA.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything relating to JKRowling.

Summary: Harriet Driscoll is a transfer student from Noctar Academy, attending Hogwarts as a Gryffindor for her first and final. As a memento of her time at Noctar, the librarian has sent her a book: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. As a new classmate and friend of the main character's parents, what is Harriet supposed to do?

Note: I don't know if it matters to anyone else, but I have this idea in my head of what my characters look like, and I feel like it's worth mentioning here. Lily Olivia Evans is Isla Fisher. Harriett Johanna Driscoll is Rachel McAdams (Time Traveler's Wife or Family Stone), Marigold Dawn Burns is Hayden Panettiere, Rachel Raven Wyatt is Odette Yustman (You Again), and Gemma Celeste Ingram is Taylor Momsen (before she had platinum blonde hair). American Schools: Nadova (Nevada), Whooshsky (Wyoming), Misinnipso (Missouri), Noctar (North Carolina)

Second Note: Please review! Thanks

**Chapter One. The Nightmare of the Seventh Year Memento**

There were times when Harriett Driscoll really missed Noctar Academy. One of these times was now. At 4am. On the second Monday of classes in September. Why was the brunet transfer student awake at such an ungodly hour? It was partly because at the wonderful, magical school called Hogwarts, she lived in the same room as four other girls. The other part was that one of said roommates just screamed bloody murder in her sleep, jolting Harriet and two of the other roommates awake and toppling the third off her bed. In the first few seconds none of the girls could move at the sight of pale Gemma sobbing on her bed, but then, in the bed on Harriett's left, her most easily irritated roommate released her wrath: "What The BLEEDING HELL is WRONG With You?"

_Oh the lovely, calming voice of Rachel; perfect for a wakeup call, except not._ Harriett, who couldn't see anything without her glasses or contacts on (not that it would help, as no one was inclined to turn a light on either), scrunched her eyes and tried to wipe the sleep away so she could at least make out the blurry figures in the room. Stretching her memory back to what color pajamas they each wore, Harriett pieced together that Marigold (wearing pink) had been able to dislodge herself from her blankets and had walked over to Gemma's bed along with Lily (wearing yellow). Harriett and Rachel remained in their beds, looking on with opposite expressions. Harriett wasn't especially close to Gemma, and, to be honest was a little uncomfortable in the position of giving comfort or receiving it; she looked at Gemma with pity and exhaustion. Rachel had lived with the three girls presently sitting on Gemma's bed for six, going on seven, years, and, as far as she was concerned, thought that they should know better than to disrupt her sleep; she looked at Gemma annoyed and exhausted. Harriett could see Rachel's expression and rolled her eyes. Harriet and Rachel hadn't hit it off as roommates, and the chances that they were going to be best friends by the end of the year seemed unlikely. The root of the problem was that Harriett thought Rachel was spoiled, naturally judgmental, and too easily angered; although Marigold claimed that Rachel had redeeming features, even she couldn't deny that Harriett's description was right. Lily told Harriett that she would get used to Rachel in time, but Lily was the type of girl who was nice to everyone (well, almost everyone) whether they deserved it or not.

Lily Evans, Marigold Burns, Rachel Wyatt and Gemma Ingram; those are the names of the girls Harriett was living with. Like her, they were all in their seventh year at Hogwarts. Unlike her, they had been at the school together since they were eleven. Harriett had just transferred from Noctar Academy, an all-year, all-girl school for magic in North Carolina. Other than her disagreements with Rachel (and not having her own room) Harriett had no trouble getting into the grove of Hogwarts. It wasn't, after all, the first time she had transferred schools. Before she had been at Noctar she had learned magic at Whooshsky in Wyoming. _Come to think of it, I lived in a double there but my roommate ended up leaving after a month to go to another school. So I had a single there, too._ Before Whooshsky, she had been to multiple muggle schools and shared a room with stuffed animals that were mute.

"Well, Ingram?" Gemma sniffled, somewhat pathetically, unable to speak. Harriett without really thinking about the possible consequences of her actions threw her pillow in Rachel's reddening face: "Lay off, Wyatt. She didn't scream just to piss you off, and you yelling at her aren't going to magically make her stop crying." Rachel cast her glare at Harriett, who yawned widely.

"I was sleeping!"

"So were the rest of us, Rachel. It's not Gemma's fault she had a nightmare." Lily had turned to face Wyatt; Harriet managed to find her glasses in time to see Lily's green eyes flashing a bit.

"Sorry, you guys." Gemma Ingram's soft voice. Harriett shook her head at the poor girl, wondering to herself why Gemma was placed in Gryffindor, because, not to be mean, but Harriett hadn't seen a hint of courage or bravery since they'd met. She was nice enough, but often seen spacing out and shying away from confrontation. When Harriett had moved into the room, Lily and Marigold had to introduce Gemma to her, even though Gemma was the first person Harriet had encountered. Rachel was a pain, but at least she was fierce. Marigold wrapped Gemma into a hug, and gave a quick laugh: "Don't apologize for things that you can't control." Marigold was always hugging and laughing; Harriett had never seen her go a whole three hours without giving someone a hug or a smile. _She scared me half to death when she just hugged me out of nowhere and for no reason. _Harriett had never had a roommate or a friend hug her as a way of greeting.

"Want to tell us what your nightmare was about? Might make it easier to sleep." _Please say no, _Harriett thought to herself even though she was the one who asked her about the nightmare. _I don't actually want to hear about your nightmare; it'll just give me bad dreams._ The smiles on Lily and Marigold's face, indicating that she has earned something like a brownie point with them, made Harriett not completely regret having asked about the dream.

"Are you sure?" Gemma's voice quivered and Harriett nodded, hoping no one could sense her reluctance to listen. "Well, I don't really remember all of it, but it was really scary." Gemma turned out to be the worst story teller that Harriett had ever heard, resulting in Harriett zoning in and out and nodding when she thought it might be appropriate, but remaining silent throughout. Harriett used their short time acquaintance and her well intentioned question to appease any guilt she felt over a lack of attention. After talking for about fifteen minutes, she was interrupted by the sound of Wyatt snoring and she seemed to notice how tired the rest of us looked. "I feel better now."

"Are you sure, Gem?" Marigold yawned loudly.

"Will you be able to sleep?" Lily caught the yawning sickness in the middle of her question and then passed it to Harriet and Gemma.

"Yah, I'll be fine."

"Lovely. Lily could you toss me my pillow. The Snoring Princess still has it."

Marigold giggled quietly: "The face she made when you threw it at her was great."

Lily tickled Rachel so she'd release the pillow, and threw it back while Harriet responded sleepily to Marigold: "Mission complete. Night, all."

"Goodnight, Harriet."

"Night, Driscoll."

"See you in the morning."

_That's the one thing I love about rooming with people, they always tell you goodnight. It's nice._

"Miss Driscoll?"

"Nightmare. Import. Ant book."

"Miss Driscoll, are you sleeping in my class?"

"Can't remember. Zero say.

"Harriet."

" 'un more minute. Two secs."

"MISS DRISCOLL!"

"Not guilty. What I do?" The words flew out of Harriett's mouth and a few of the students in the class snorted. It took her a few seconds to realize that those people weren't in her bedroom, as she was definitely not in her bedroom. She closed my eyes tightly, trying to clear her head. _Where the hell am I?_

"Thank you, Miss Driscoll, for returning to class." _McGonagall. I fell asleep in McGonagall's class. Damn it!_ "I hope I didn't interrupt anything important while you dreamt." Harriett could feel red climbing into her cheeks as she spoke, and, as testament to Harriett not being a morning person, due to the fact she lacked a filter when she was first woken up, Harriett said something to McGonagall that was incredibly stupid: "No worries, Minnie."

The guy sitting behind Harriet laughed, although it sounded strangely like the bark. "Nothing out of you, Mr. Black." The distraction gave Harriett a chance to realize what she had just said.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, Professor. I-I didn't mean it the way it came out. I mean you weren't interrupting anything." There was snorting from behind and Harriett saw McGonagall's eyebrows raise with the degrees of heat on her face. "I mean…um, I didn't mean to fall asleep last night, I mean in your class. I don't really know…what…happened. And I, apparently, can't think straight right now." And more giggles erupted from the class. _Please let the floor swallow me whole so I won't keep talking._

"Professor, it's not her fault." Harriet recognized Lily's voice on my left. "One of our roommates kept us up late last night, so all of us are a little sleep deprived." Ah, and then she remembered. The Princess of Snore. She didn't get any more sleep after 4am. Harriett turned her head to Lily, intending to mouth thank you to her, but her filter-less thoughts had a better idea: "Wow, Lily, you look awful." Marigold's giggled loudly on Harriett's right, and, instinctively turning to face her led to another comment: "You, too Marigold. Do I look as bad as the two of you?" Marigold laughed louder at me and nodding quickly. "Awwww. I don't wanna look badly. Already can't see." More people in the class started laughing. _Damn, damn, damn. Stop talking, Harriett!_

"Here drink this." Lily sat a thermos out in front of me.

"What's that Evans?" A guy from one row back, whose name Harriett couldn't quiet remember right then, asked.

"The only thing that will snap her back to reality, Potter. Caffeine."

"I like caffeine. I like the name Potter, too. It's got a pretty ring to it." _What the hell?_

"Less talking, more drinking!" Lily put Harriett's hand around the thermos, and pulled it up to her face so that she'd stop talking. Harriett swallowed the carbonated drink and felt her brain engage with the filter between thoughts and words. "Have you now returned to the land of the fully functioning, Miss Driscoll?"

"Yes, mama. Sorry about that." _I am so dead._

"Come to my office after your classes, Miss Driscoll. The rest of you are dismissed. Don't forget that you have an essay do on Wednesday. No exceptions."

"Yes, mama." Harriet packed up her empty notes, trying not to look at any of the other students as they passed by her desk. Marigold gave a sympathetic smile.

"Sorry, I would have woken you up beforehand, but to tell you the truth I think I dozed off too. I woke up when she asked if you were sleeping. Lily tried to nudge you awake, I don't think she was fully paying attention either though. You're really funny when you're just waking up though."

"You talk in your sleep, too. You said something about importing an ant book, not being guilty and zero say. I can't believe you asked us if you looked as badly as we did." Lily smiled amused, and tried to straighten her red pony tail.

"Yah, thanks for that."

"Sorry. I really can't get my brain to separate observations from things that I want to say in the first five minutes of me being awake, so usually anything that comes to mind comes up before I can stop it."

"I'll take that as a compliment then." The Potter boy came up, with a sideways grin and two other guys next to him.

"I don't know if you can actually take credit for having a name with a ring to it. I'm pretty sure that's circumstantial. If not, then personal preference." The Potter boy kept his grin, but Harriett saw his eyes travel left, until Marigold gasped and became the center of attention by saying: "Oh my goodness, you haven't been introduced. And you're in the same house." Harriett blinked as she thought about her first night at Hogwarts; she had gotten sick beforehand so she had to skip it. The headmaster sorted her in his office once she was released from the hospital wing and by then she was rushing around the school trying to figure out where all of her classes were and catching up with the summer classwork that she didn't have time to do, since she technically never had a summer to do it in. _Other than my roommates, I really hadn't met anyone else though they'd tried to point out people and name them._ "James Potter is the Head Boy to Lily's Head Girl. Nobody make a face at that! James is also Gryffindor's Quidditch Captain."

"Hi! Sorry for calling you out in class like that. What position do you play?"

"I'm a Chaser. We've had a good team set up for the last few years, but a lot of the team graduated last year. So it's going to be a challenge this year." _Did his eyes just light up at the word 'challenge'? _

"Do you play?" The guy with black waving hair, standing on the right of James asked with a smile that strangely mirrored the one James wore.

"I played on a Quidditch team when I was at Whooshsky, but when I transferred to Noctar there wasn't a Quidditch team to join. Flying lessons, but no Quidditch."

"So this isn't your first time transferring?" The boy of the left of James had light brown hair, a couple cuts on his face, and a concerned look in his eyes. _Those kinds of cuts look familiar…_

"Hogwarts will be the sixth school I've gone to. My parents moved around a lot when I was a kid. It's not so bad, though. I've seen a lot of different places and I've never really felt like I didn't belong somewhere before. My dad told mom that the family's motto should be 'where ever I lay my hat is home'. It's an old song that he'd sing and dance to." The concerned look was still in his eye, but Harriet was used to that look by now. There was always someone who thought she had it bad. Before they could clomp onto her life and ask more questions she directed their attention elsewhere. "Are the two of you related?" She said, pointing at James and the other black haired boy who looked a little taken aback. "The two of you have the same smile." The identical smiles came out, as if on cue.

"Wow. Their smiles are similar." Lily whispered to herself before clearing her throat. _Is it my imagination or did James' smile get bigger?_

"I take it by everyone's reaction that you aren't related."

"Sorry, I got lost in the conversations. That's Sirius Black, if you are going to develop a crush on him, I should warn you now that he has a fan club, and they will come after you if you start dating him."

"You're joking, right?" Sirius winced: "Ouch."

"Not like that. I meant that people don't have fan clubs. Unless they are famous for something."

"These three men are Hogwarts' celebrities."

"Don't feed their ego, Marigold."

"Aww, but Lily-flower."

"Don't start, Black! I haven't had an argument with any of you in a week. That's a new record and I want to see how long it'll go."

"Yes, Lily-flower." Lily's eyes flashed and Harriett decided to intervene before something happened.

"Am I going to get introduced to the third part of the party?"

"Oh, right! Sorry. I keep getting distracted. This is Remus Lupin. He's got a fan club, too." This seemed like news to him and his two friends, and none of them really knew how to respond. "If you come to the Quidditch games or end up playing on the team, Remus is the one that does commentary. And now you can thank me for introducing you to the most popular boys at school."

"It's nice to meet you. I'm, in case you haven't heard my name enough in class today, Harriet Driscoll."

"Well Harriett Driscoll," Sirius walked closer to her desk, "can I ask you a couple of questions?"

"…sure."

"Harriet Driscoll, can I call you Harry?" Harriett blinked and looked at Lily who rolled her eyes as if to say 'And here we go."

"Um, that's fine."

"Alright, Harry. Question one—"

"Actually, you're on four now."

"Oh. Question four, what's your sign?" Remus closed his eyes as if in pain while James shook his head. Marigold and Lily snorted amused.

"The one that says 'stop'?" Sirius barked out another laugh: "I like you, Harry. Congratulations for passing the 'I'm-Not-Going-To-Be-Your-Fan-Girl' Quiz. That being said," Sirius turned to his amused friends and asked, "can we go eat now?"

"Sure, Sirius. It was nice meeting you, Harriet. See you around, Marigold. Bye, Lily." Sirius and Remus waved as they left the classroom.

"They seem nice."

"You should have been here a couple years before." Lily answered darkly, but Marigold snorted.

"So they aren't nice?"

"Oh, come on Lily. They aren't that bad. I think they are rather funny."

"In the rule breaking, cocky sort of way: Yes."

"Give up, Lily. Admit that you like James and go out with him already. He might surprise you."

"Never. I'll never ever date James Potter."

"You know, if you add Lily before it, Potter has an even prettier ring to it."

"Driscoll!"

Harriett didn't sleep through anymore classes, or, for that matter, her meeting with Professor McGonagall who agreed to let her off with a warning this one time. Harriett didn't like that people gave her special treatment when they feel sorry for her (_Remus and McGonagall seem sure that being transferred from multiple schools is worth some leniency with my behavior_), but that doesn't mean she was above accepting it. Luckily, McGonagall hadn't heard Harriett call her Minnie though, or she might not have been so lenient. McGonagall didn't call Harriett into her office to tell her she was off the hook though. The professor called her into her office so that Harriett's old head of house, Professor Miser, could make his own sympathetic gesture. It's custom for seventh year students at Noctar to pick one book from the school library, which is a building all by itself and several stories high, to take with you as a momentum of your time in school. Since Harriett's transfer had been kind of sudden (it wasn't until two weeks beforehand that she or any of her teachers were informed that she was being transferred), and she had exams the day last year's seniors had picked out there book, Professor Miser had the librarian pick out a book for Harriett to make up for her missing her senior year there. The librarian had been out sick the week Harriett had to leave, so Professor Miser couldn't give it to her before she left. _I guess I worry more people than I thought I did_, Harriet couldn't help but think after McGonagall confessed that she was friends with some of my old teachers and they had inquired about my transition. When Professor Miser found out that McGonagall was Harriett's new head of house, he asked her to deliver the book. McGongall's words as she handed over the wrapped book were; "The staff and students at your old school seem to think highly of you." Harriett wanted to ask why, but thought she might get more sympathetic glances. _What am I suppose to say to that though?_ "Thank you, Professor McGonagall."

Harriett decided to wait to unwrap the book when she got back to her room. The librarian and she had never hit it off really well, so it was going to be interesting opening something that she picked out for her. "Oi, Driscoll!" Harriett lifted her head to see a smiling Sirius Black walking down the staircase she was about to walk up. "Are you coming to dinner? I'll walk you down."

"Thanks, but I think I'll pass."

"Mad that I'm not going to let you be in my fan club?" _He's got a nice laugh. Do all dogs have nice laughs? Very stupid question. Do not ask it._

"I feel completely rejected, and now I can't bear the thought of facing a great hall worth of people who surely, by now, must know that you have cast me aside like an old boat."

"Cast boat, very funny. You should have answered the question right."

"Is a pickup line technically a question?"

"Only if you answer it wrong."

"Ah, now I get it. Well, in any case, I think I'm going to skip on eating with everyone tonight."

"Lots of homework to do?"

"No, well yes, I do, but no that's not the reason I'm staying back. On that subject though, could I borrow your notes for transfiguration? I'd ask Lily or Marigold, but they were both really tired, so I don't know how good their notes will be."

"Sure thing. Can I bring them to you after dinner?"

"That would be great."

"Alright then…" _He's hesitating. And he's standing right in front of me. Is he expecting me to move out of his way or something?_

"Yes, Sirius?"

"Obvious I've got more to say, is it?"

"Just a little. You're voice gives it away. Go ahead and ask."

"Do you want me to bring you back some food from the kitchens? You probably shouldn't skip meals. I could give it to Lily-flower or one of the other girls." Harriett felt the ends of her lips kick up when he said Lily-flower.

"You call her Lily-flower even when she's not around?"

"It's a habit. I started it when James began to ask her out and she rejected him. Repeatedly. Used to do it to tick her off, now it's just a part of her name." _He seems pretty happy with himself. Did something good happen to him today?_

"I thought I caught some eyeing going on. Why'd she reject him?" His face darkened a little and Harriett couldn't help but blink at how the frown transformed his face. Not necessarily in a bad way, but it did transform it.

"It's complicated. I think I know why, but…" She opened her mouth to tell him he didn't have to explain if he didn't want when he started again. "James has been in love with her for ages. I don't think he's ever going to stop." He hesitated for a second, like he wasn't sure if he was breaking a best friend code by speaking. "He used to ask her at least twice a week to go on a date with him, but she never let in. We've been back over a week now and he hasn't even asked her once. I'm sure he still loves her, but I'm a little worried that he's give in to the idea that she's never going to give him a chance and has accepted the idea that it's always going to be a one-sided love."

"You and James have been friends for a long time."

"Since first year it's been me, James and Remus. And Peter. You haven't met him yet, he's not in advanced transfiguration."

"Maybe he thinks Lily will give him a chance if he backs off. Talking from experience, being bombarded weekly by a guy you don't like is irritating and you start to forget any good qualities he has." _That doesn't constitute as a lie does it? I mean I'm pretty sure Jason has no redeeming qualities for me to forget in the first place…. _

"Hmm." Harriett smiled, trying to push back her thoughts about Jason and finish making her way to the dorm.

"I'll take you up on the offer of food though. I'll probably be hungry later on and it occurs to me that I don't know where the kitchen actually is here."

"Maybe if you answer the next pickup line I throw your way right, I tell you where it is."

"Or I could just go looking for it myself. Only time will tell."

"Speaking of time, you'd better get going. The staircases will probably start moving soon." He stepped to the right to let Harriett pass by.

"Thanks, Sirius."

"Bye, Hattie." She stopped on the same step as him and looked at him curiously.

"What happened to calling me Harry?"

"James told me that he wanted to name is first son Harry." Harriett laughed at the comment.

"Harry Potter does have a nice ring to it." _Did his eyes just flicker?_

"Hattie it is then."

Harriett had gotten almost halfway through the first chapter when Lily came into the room, and Harriett almost ran to give her a hug. She would have had she been able to move. "Hey, you feel okay? Sirius told us you were skipping dinner, but that he was going to bring something back for you." Harriett couldn't say anything. Everything felt frozen inside, like she'd been stuck in a freezer and the ice in her veins had not melted yet. "Harriett? Everything okay?" _No. No its not. Why? Why? Why?_

"Lily?"

"Yah?" She looked at Harriett with concern. _She's concerned for me? She'd sad for me. Why? This isn't fair. Why?_

"Do you have any siblings?"

"Uh…yah. An older sister. Her names Petunia. Why?" Harriett could feel the tears gathering in her eyes as the last thing separating her mind from accepting the truth was put to an end. _Damn it, no! Why? Why?_ "What's wrong? Harriett?" _Everything. It's all wrong._

"Um-Nothing. Nothing at all. I just wondered." _You're dead, Lily. You and James are dead._

"Harriett…"

"Don't mind me, Lily. It's just that time of month and I'm a little emotional is all." _Why? Why? Why them? Why me? Why?_

"I take it you're not going to be in the mood to eat in the common room. I think Potter, Sirius and Remus wanted to introduce you to more people tonight."

"I…"

"You're not. I'll tell them you aren't feeling well. It's not like you don't live here. We can introduce you later on."

"LILY-FLOWER. HATTIE!" Sirius bellowed from below. And Lily rolled her eyes.

"Potter and Sirius must be back with the food. I take it you are now Hattie?"

"Harry is going to be James' son's name."

"Is it now?" _Yes_. "Well, I guess on this one thing Potter and I can agree. Harry is nice name, I've always like it. I had an uncle named Harry. He was great, he gave me a compass and a map when I was nine and told me to plan an adventure." She smiled, hoping that Harriett would smile back. "I'll go get the food and bring it to you."

"Thanks, Lily." She smiled before walking to the door. "Lily?" She stopped at the door.

"Yah, Harriet?"

"His name is James." She blinked and looked for a second like she wanted to argue. Harriett gulped, "Please." That Lily nodded, even reluctantly, meant to Harriett that she was looking pretty pathetic. While she was downstairs excusing her from their impromptu welcome party, Harriett took the book and hid it under a pile of clothes in her trunk.

_Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban_. Why did the librarian give this to me? Why did I have to learn about the premature deaths of people I had just met? Why them? Why me? What am I going to do?


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything relating to JKRowling.

Summary: Harriet Driscoll is a transfer student from Noctar Academy, attending Hogwarts as a Gryffindor for her first and final. As a memento of her time at Noctar, the librarian has sent her a book: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. As a new classmate and friend of the main character's parents, what is Harriet supposed to do?

Note: I don't know if it matters to anyone else, but I have this idea in my head of what my characters look like, and I feel like it's worth mentioning here. Lily Olivia Evans is Isla Fisher. Harriett Johanna Driscoll is Rachel McAdams (Time Traveler's Wife or Family Stone), Marigold Dawn Burns is Hayden Panettiere, Rachel Raven Wyatt is Odette Yustman (You Again), and Gemma Celeste Ingram is Taylor Momsen (before she had platinum blonde hair). American Schools: Nadova (Nevada), Whooshsky (Wyoming), Misinnipso (Missouri), Noctar (North Carolina)

Second Note: Please review! Thanks

_Previously_: Gemma has a nightmare, Rachel snores, Harriet falls asleep in McGonagall's class, Marigold introduces James Potter, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, Harriet collects a gift from the librarian at her old school through McGonagall, Sirius flirts with Harriet/Hattie-formerly-known-as-Harry, Harriet is oblivious, Harriet reads part of the gift, Lily tries to comfort her, Lily call James by his first name (off screen), Harriet's book is revealed to be _Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban_, Harriet faces a dilemma.

**Chapter Two: A Decision Needs to be Reached**

September 16th, 1997. Friday. Three o'clock. In the afternoon. Harriett's roommates (even Rachel) and the Marauders (the name was slipped by Peter when Harriett was introduced to him on Wednesday) were still tiptoeing around her like they were afraid she was going to go off at any moment. _Which I just might_, Harriett could help but think. The "gift" she received from her old school was still under the pile of clothes in her trunk. She hadn't touched it since Monday night, but that didn't mean she had not thought about it constantly for the rest of the week. _It can't just sit it there. I've got to do something with it_. It was driving her mad that she couldn't decide what to do with the book; she could burn it, or read it. Should she tell someone about it? Or maybe she should read it with Lily and James, since it was their son, Harry, that the story was about. Maybe just Lily? Or just James? Sirius and Remus were James' best friends though, and maybe they had a right to read it to. What about Lily's friends? Marigold would want to see it. _Damn. What am I suppose to do?_

She sighed heavily as she walked up the steps, and moved to one side so that she could stay out of the way of the hurried footsteps she heard behind her. "Hey, Hattie." Sirius smiled down at her.

"Have you always been that tall?" Harriett asked curiously. Sirius, she had learned by the end of the week, had a habit of getting himself into minor trouble using products from the joke shop that's located in the nearby town; so it wasn't nearly as stupid a question as it sounds, and yet she could feel the heat moving to my cheeks and bit her bottom lip angrily.

"Nope. When I was born, I was definitely not this tall. I grew in years, height, and good looks."

"Does that mean your fan base will grow as you age? How many fan girls will you have at 100?"

"Who says I'm going to live that long? My plan is to die young."

"Don't say that, Sirius." The words came out sharp and they both stopped on the stairs as if they had been slapped by her comment. There was ice growing in Harriett's veins again as the words in the first chapter rang in her head, but she started walking again, without looking to see if Sirius was following as it would keep the chill out of her bloodstream.

"What's wrong, Hattie?" _The future. The future is what's wrong._

"Nothing."

"You're lying." She avoided eye contact with him by taking a few steps faster, but she couldn't deny it.

"I know."

"Don't lie to me." _I don't think anyone has ever said that to me before._

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to be lied to," Sirius said sounding miffed and irritated. _I shouldn't laugh, but his voice just changed._

"Everyone wants to be lied to." She was talking without a filter again, a side effect that only came in the first five minutes after waking up, or when she was seriously stressed out. "Why should I not lie to you?"

"Because it's a waste of time to lie to me. I can tell when you are lying."

"Practice makes perfect."

"Because I asked you not to." Harriett didn't reply to that, she didn't know how. _That was a rather good reason, and yet it reminds me of the phrase parents and grandparents are supposed to use "Because I told you so. _"What happened Monday?"

"Lots of things."

"Hattie." Sirius said impatiently. _Can't blame him, I'm annoying myself trying to evade him._

"That isn't a lie."

"Evasion is nine-tenths of the law." She couldn't help but snort at the reference to the muggle world, although she was confused as to how he knew it.

"That's possession. And where did you learn that from?" _Blocking to another subject. Perfect strategy._

"What happened when I left you on the staircase Monday?"_ Perfect strategy failed!_

"I went to my room and read." _I feel like I'm under inquiry._

"What did you read?"

"A part of a book." _From the future._

"What book?"

"A sad book." _From our futures._

"What book?"

"I doubt you've read it." _Because it's from the FUTURE!_

"What book?"

"One the librarian at Noctar sent to me." _Where the hell did he get it though? Were there more books like the ones I got?_

"What book?"

"How many times are you going to ask me that?"

"How many times is it going to take for me to get a straight answer?"

"Can we just not talk about me crying?" He stopped short, and she turned to him curiously.

"Crying?" Harriett grimaced and started walking up the stairs again, as if he was going to stop following her. _Damn, I thought that's why he was so curious. Lily must not have told him_. "You cried? Over a book. What are you reading?"

"I'm not reading it!" _I don't want to read anymore of it._

"What were you reading?"

"A sad passage from a book that was given to me in which a couple is murdered and their one year old son is sent off to family who will clearly have no understanding, and cannot possibly accept him. Alright? Now can we please drop it?" _Way to go, Harriett. You just told him the future demise of his best friend and Lily-flower. How does it feel?_

"I'm just trying to help." There was a bite to his sentence and she could feel her back tense up in defense, but she forced it to relax and accept that he was telling the truth.

"I know. And I appreciate the sentiment." _Although I can't figure out why you all seem to be so set of "helping" me._ "But honestly, Sirius, it's hard to explain why I am upset and I would have to talk about things that I can't talk about to anyone in order to explain my feelings correctly."

"Why—"

"Stop badgering her, mate." Remus' voice comes from behind them. _When did he get there?_

"I'm not, Rems! I'm just—"

"Badgering her. I've been behind you for awhile. If she can't tell us or doesn't trust us, you can't make her." She tried not to wince at the comment about trust, not that she expected either to notice. It wasn't that she didn't trust them, after all. _At least I think it doesn't. But I've never really had to trust someone recently, either…_ "If the first, it's not fair to ask what you wouldn't do yourself. If the second, we've only know her for a week. It took me a year to trust you and James." She wanted to ask why, but knew she couldn't ask without tying herself up in a knot of hypocrisy.

"Look, I'll be fine. I just have to deal with something, and for now I have to deal with it on my own. If I need help, I'll come find you, alright?" Sirius looked at her ticked off, but in the end nodded sharply. Remus smiled sympathetically. _I really didn't make a good impression on him. Every time I see him he looks like he wants to apologize for my life._ "Nector Clio." She said to the Fat Lady and they entered the common room.

"I'm going to put my books up. I'll see you all later."

"Alright, Hatts." She turned to Sirius and looked at him skeptically, but Remus was the one to ask the question.

"Hatts?"

"It's got a better ring to it." She laughed at the phrase that was beginning to sound like an inside joke between them and asked, knowing he would catch the pun: "Siriusly?"

"Siriusly."

When Harriett walked into the room she noticed several things amiss. The first was that there was someone yelling, and it wasn't Rachel. The second, their beds were in the center of the room instead of the outside walls. Third, there were girls that weren't wearing Gryffindor ties sitting on her bed. Fourth, all the trunks were missing. Of course, one of these things worried her more than anything else.

"Where is my trunk?"Marigold whipped her golden head around and glared so hard she thought blue daggers were going to fly. _Wow, glad she isn't mad with me._

"THESE little brats moved them! They were paid five gallons each to sneak into our dorm and trash our room. Five extra if they kept their mouths shut on who is paying them off!" Harriett looked at the three fifth year Ravenclaws who seemed to not be nearly afraid of their situation as they should have been. _Now I get to be the investigator, this should be fun._

"Can you tell us what house sent you?" One of the girls shook her head. "Can you tell me where my trunk is?" Another shake. "Can you tell me if anyone is going to notice you're missing when I toss you into the lake without wands and with cement shoes on?" Harriett got a gasp and her name whispered reproachfully by Marigold and wide-eyed fear from the other girls as a response. _Ah, now I have their attention._ "Not sure? Well, let's go back from the beginning. What are your names? First name is fine."

"I'm Valerie, this is Tiffany and Anna." _The one who shook her head must be the one in charge. She's going to answer all the questions for them. If she doesn't break, I'll have to separate them._

"Are you from Ravenclaw." Nod. "Are you getting paid from someone in Ravenclaw?" Hesitant nod. "Is it because that person felt he or she was being treated unkindly by someone in this room?" Nod. "Do you know who they were targeting?" Nod. "Do you know who lives in this room?" Hesitant nod. "Who am I?" No answer. "Who is she?" Harriett pointed to Marigold, who was still glaring at them. No answer. "I thought you said you knew who we were."

"We know who is suppose to live here." _For Ravenclaw, they aren't very bright._

"Yah, it's Delany Carter, Missy Braxton, Kelly Shine, Rebecca Wyatt and Colby Night."

"Marigold, take the middle one, I can handle the other two." Their eyes looked like they were going to pop out.

"Where are we taking them Harriet?" _Methinks Marigold is a little frightened by me right now. Gosh, this is the most fun I've had in awhile._

"To dunk them in the lake, of course. None of those people live here." _Except for Wyatt, but I'll deal with that later._

"But, but that's what she told us. She told us the room and the spells and the time to do it."

"Who? Who is she?"

"We can't say any more or we won't get paid."

"You'll say something more or the Head Girl will find out about it."

"You'll tell on us?" _Are they seriously Ravenclaws?_

"If you had done your homework beforehand, you would know that this is the Head Girl's room." The look on their faces was enough to make Harriett believe that they'd at least heard rumors of Lily's temper, if not experienced it firsthand. "So I won't have to tell on you, she'll already know. Now look, how long did it take you to cause this mess?"

"An hour."

"Well you have half that amount of time to fix it. Because that, chick-a-dees is when Lily Evans comes back. Go." _So it isn't the best way to handle it, maybe, but it got it done. And I had fun doing it...Does that make me a bad person? Oh, who cares._ "Marigolds in charge, and you'd better listen to her. I'll be back in two minutes. I'll want to see results." _Haha. I sound like McGonagall!_ Harriett took off to the boys room. They wanted her to come to them for help? Fine, they could help her find the idiot who paid the Ravenclaw girls to damage her room and steal her book...well trunk.

"This is a bad idea, Padfoot. If she finds out you did this, she'll be pissed at you for the rest of your life."

"But my intent is good, Moony. You said that if my intent was good, all could be forgiven."

"I meant with me, you idiot! Not with a girl we met a week ago."

"Look, I just want to see this book, and then we'll return everything. She'll never even know she was the target." _I've never felt pissed off and touched at the same time before. It's an odd combination. I think I like it. But he's going to pay!_ Harriett knocked quietly on the door to the Marauder's room, eyes flashing at what she just overheard.

"Hey, Sirius? Remus? Are you in there?" _If they lie, they die._

"Harriet! I mean Harry, I mean Hattie. Uh, hold on!" _Oh the frantic movement and speech of Sirius Black. It's music to my ears. If this makes me a terrible person. I'll take it._

"Can I come in?"

"NO!" _Remus knows he's going to get caught in the middle if I get in there. Good._

"That is…we aren't decent." _You got that right, Rems_.

"Well in that case, let me join the club." She slammed open the door to see both boys covering up the trunks. "Aw, Sirius, that's no fun. I thought you were going to be indecent." Both boys had their eyes open, unsure if she had seen the trunks being hid.

"Um, well. We—we were. I mean our room is indecent. Completely inappropriate for a young lady, such as yourself." She had to hold off a snort at the phrase 'young lady', but throwing it back at them gave her an excuse to smile.

"What is appropriate for a young lady, such as myself." _Did he just blush? No. He just knows I know what he did, and he doesn't want to admit it._

"I—er, I don't know if…"

"If what Sirius? What don't you know?" _I think I just made him gulp._

"You know, I must be leaving. Good luck, Sirius." Remus went to leave, but she blocked his way and closed the door with her wand, her eyes on Sirius who was looking between her and Remus unsure of what to do next.

"I'd prefer that you'd stay a little longer, Moony."

"It's Sirius' fault," Remus answered without preamble and she felt the urge to laugh again. _That was quick. Do I look that angry? Cause I feel like I'm going to crack up._

"You didn't stop him."

"But I didn't help him!"

"But you didn't stop him, either!"

"Well, we were just worried about you." Her shoulder tensed. _Damn, there it is again. Why the heck do these people care about me so much? I just met them._

"But you can't just take my trunk and my roommates trunks and put the dorm in disarray because you're worried about me."

"Why not?" Sirius asked as if she had denied him a personal right or freedom.

"Because I'm not the only one being effected by your worrying when you do that," she answered incredulously. "Marigold has a date to night, and I demand that you send her trunk back to her room right this minute!" _I really do sound like McGonagall. Maybe that's what I'll do when I graduate._

"FINE!" Sirius opened the curtains and cursed four of the trunks so they floated out the door. "Now no one other than yourself is being effected by us worrying about you." _Don't smile. Don't smile. He's acting like a little kid! It's not funny, do not smile!_

"Were you really going to pay those girls five gallons to keep their mouths shut?"

"Yes, but—"

"Give them the money tomorrow; they didn't rat you out."

"Then how did you know to come here?" Remus asked, confused by my quick appearance.

"Ironically enough, I came to ask you to **help** me figure out what Wyatt did, and to who in Ravenclaw, that warranted us having our room destroyed." Remus and Sirius looked at the floor feeling at least a pin of guilt. _And yet they both stay standing in front of my trunk_. "Don't suppose you would mind sending my trunk back too, or would you?"

"Will you tell us what's wrong with you?" Remus asked carefully. _And to think he was the one supporting my silence a second ago. He's a little hard to read…_

"Can I tell you in a couple of weeks?" _When hopefully I'll have figured out what to do with that information._

"Why can't you tell us now?" _Why are you so inquisitive?_

"Because it's complicated, Sirius! There are other people involved and I have to take that into consideration before blabbing my mouth. How would you feel if one of those people were you or Remus?" That stopped them from speaking for awhile.

"Then why do I feel like you don't trust me? Or Remus? Even Lily-flower told James that she doesn't think you trust her or Marigold and you talk to them more than anyone else. Do you trust anyone?"

…_No._ "No."

"…no. Like no, meaning no one at all. Or no, meaning no one recently or at this school. Or no, meaning never."

"Option one?" I answered Remus' multiple choice hesitantly.

"What about your parents?" _They're dead, so no._

"I'd really rather not talk about my family if you don't mind."

"See! There! You're doing it again. You don't want to tell us anything."

"That's not true. It's just a lot of the things you want to ask I don't want to answer," Sirius interrupted me with a mirthless laugh, but I persisted, "because it's either complicated or liable to have people feel sorry for me. Which I don't want. I don't want or need someone's pity, good intentioned or otherwise." _That came out a little sharper than I meant…_

"If you answer my next couple of questions, I'll not ask about the book again for a whole week."

"That's the best deal I'm going to get, isn't it?" They didn't respond. "Fine. What's your question?"

"Where do you live?" She blinked confused: _What kind of question is that?_

"Here." _Obviously._

"Seriously?" _Why the hell are they mad at me, it was them that asked the stupid question?_

"You asked!" Remus shook his head like she was the one who wasn't making any sense.

"I meant where is home to you. Where are your parents? Where did you grow up? Where are you going for Christmas?"

"I'm staying at Hogwarts for Christmas. And I don't have a house that I grew up in. My parents traveled, they didn't stick." _What was the point of sticking when you could just pack up and leave your troubles behind?_

"Where are they now?" _In a cemetery. In different states and time zones._

"This your last question?" Sirius nodded reluctantly and Remus shrugged. "Mom is in Nevada and Dad's in Montana. Now, give me my trunk." Sirius looked like he had another question, but Remus moved him out of her way so she could curse her trunk to follow behind her as she walked away from them. "Thank you for recovering my belongings." She said with a smile before slamming the door behind her. _I think Sirius threw a shoe at the door…_

The room was fixed ten minutes before Lily came through the door. Rachel, Gemma, and Marigold got her approval of their outfits for their dates, and, once they left, flopped down, with a long sigh, on Harriett's bed. "So, what are your plans for the night?" Lily asked it casually, but Harriett couldn't stop thinking about what Sirius had said about her and Marigold. It wasn't that she didn't want to trust people, she'd just never been taught that she should. _I knew I had to be trustworthy, but all my teachers had put "works well alone" and "very independent" in the compliments section of my reports._ Harriett tightened her grip on the book and tried to look relaxed: "I haven't decided yet. Do you have plans tonight?"

Lily twisted a small strand of hair around her finger and slowly said, "I was actually wondering if you wanted to hang out. We could play a game? Or tell stories? Or something like that. It's been really hectic since you've gotten here, and even though I see you and Marigold a lot, it's usually in a classroom."

"Sounds good to me." _Do it. Do it. Tell her about the book!_ "Hey Lily, can we start off with a quick game of twenty questions, so like five questions?" She looked shocked and blinked a few times, so I had to laugh. "I was informed today, that I'm not…I'm not exactly a forthcoming person." Lily bit her lip and Harriett knew she was probably thinking of what she told James. "I don't do it on purpose," Harriett tried to explain, "it's just how I react. It's how I've always reacted. So I warn you now. Be very specific with your question. And no sympathetic, pitting responses. Okay?"

"Five questions that I'm dying" (_Don't wince_) " to have you answer about yourself?" Lily bit her lip, but her eyes showed she was excited by the prospect. "Hard, I wasn't expecting that. I guess number one would be are you homesick?" _Oh so many ways to answer that. But I promised not to evade. Well, sort of promised._

"Yes, and no. I miss certain things about my old school, but as far as missing my life before I was eleven, I guess is what you mean? The answer is no. I miss my room and the building, it's so different from Hogwarts, and yet they are both strangely cozy, despite being massive. My parents moved all the time when I was a kid, they liked to be in a car more than I think they liked being at any once place. I don't miss that. If I never had to ride in a car again, I could be happy." _I think that's the longest answer I've given to her since we've met._ "Now it's my turn. Where do you see your life ten years from now?" _I'm an awful, terrible person._

"Ten years? I think in ten years, I'd like to have found the person I love and married them, maybe have a kid or one on the way. I really want to do the nurses program at St. Mungos, that's what I'm studying for. I thought maybe about becoming a teacher, but I think I'd wait awhile if I did that. Maybe once my kids were at Hogwarts?" She smiled at the thought of her future and it made my heart sick. _Well, at least she had a kid before she died. Is that better or worse?_ "Where will you be in ten years?"

"To be honest, I don't know. I don't even know what I want to do when I get out of school. I don't really have a dream. I guess I want to be settled in one spot. Maybe I'll become a teacher. McGonagall scares the heck out of me, but I learned today that I am a pretty scary person myself. Or I might go into business. I always liked shops, even if I didn't have money. But I don't know what kind of business. If I found the right guy, I'd get married, but I also like the idea of adoption which means I don't _need_ to get married…Question two, if you found out that your future was a screwed mess and could potentially fix it, would you? And I do mean completely screwed, like you're not alive." (_Smooth_) "Or something of that nature." That question had Lily blinking, too.

"I guess if the opportunity presented itself, I would see it as a sign that it's okay for me to fix my future."

"Really?"

"Yah, why not."

"So if your friend had said item that could potentially fix your future, would you want that friend to show it to you or burn it?"

"Show it to me."

"On a scale of one to ten, how much do you dislike James? Be honest! One is you actually love him and ten is you wish he had gotten lost in a black hole."

"What's five?"

"You have no feelings about him either way." Lily chewed her bottom lip. "Lily, I will call farce if I can tell you are lying."

"2?"

"You love him, but you didn't want to and you can't tell him?"

"Yah, that basically sums it up."

"Great! Wow, that was a quick game of twenty questions, now on to the next activity!"

"Wait! I didn't get to ask you five questions."

"Oh, but you will in a second."

"What do you mean?" _Moment of truth._ Harriet handed Lily the source of her problems since Monday and hoped Lily had been telling the truth about wanting to know the future. "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," Lily read. "What is this, Harriet?"

"Your future. Or, well, you're son's anyways.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything relating to JKRowling.

Summary: Harriet Driscoll is a transfer student from Noctar Academy, attending Hogwarts as a Gryffindor for her first and final. As a memento of her time at Noctar, the librarian has sent her a book: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. As a new classmate and friend of the main character's parents, what is Harriet supposed to do?

Note: I don't know if it matters to anyone else, but I have this idea in my head of what my characters look like, and I feel like it's worth mentioning here. Lily Olivia Evans is Isla Fisher. Harriett Johanna Driscoll is Rachel McAdams (Time Traveler's Wife or Family Stone), Marigold Dawn Burns is Hayden Panettiere, Darcy Parks is Eliza Bennet (Inkheart), Grace Tracy is Georgie Henley (Narnia), and Constance Forrester is Anna Popplewell (Narnia). American Schools: Nadova (Nevada), Whooshsky (Wyoming), Misinnipso (Missouri), Noctar (North Carolina)

Second Note: Please review! Thanks

_Previously_: Gemma has a nightmare, Marigold introduces James Potter, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, Harriet collects a gift from the librarian at her old school through McGonagall, Sirius flirts with Harriet/Hats-formerly-known-as-Harry-and-Hattie, Harriet is oblivious, Harriet reads part of the gift, Lily call James by his first name (off screen), Harriet's book is revealed to be _Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban_, Harriet ponders dilemma and worries her new friends, Sirius and Harriet squabble over her inability/lack of interest in trusting them, Harriet terrifies a group of Ravenclaws, Sirius tries to pull one over on Harriet, Harriet reveals part of her childhood, Harriet reveal the book to Lily.

**Chapter Three: To Read or Not to Read**

The look on Lily's face was one of puzzlement and surprise, not that Harriett could blame her. She'd be surprised too if someone she'd known for a week asked her if she could change the future would she and then gave her the means to do it with. "Lily, this is a book that I received from my old school. There's a tradition at Noctar that graduates get to take a single book from the library; the student body has access to the books on the first, second and third floor, but it's said that there is a basement that extends under the whole school and that there are books that haven't been written yet or may never be written. That's typically where student's pick from when they graduate. I was suppose to graduate there, too. I didn't know I was transferring to Hogwarts until the week beforehand. My head of house felt really bad for me, and so he arranged for the librarian to pick a book for me to have as a memento of my time there." Harriett said all of this almost without stop, and then had to repeat it because Lily didn't understand the first time. After explaining the second time around, Lily stared at the book bewildered and unblinking. "I didn't believe them, about the book from the future and all that, until I got that book on Monday. I started reading it, thinking it was just a funny coincidence. You and James were named in there though, and when I asked you about your siblings—"

"Petunia!" She looked at Harriett surprised and not a little upset. "Why is Petunia in the book? She hates me. She hates magic. She—"

"Is Harry's guardian."

"WHAT?" She shot up from her position on Harriett's bed and looked at her like Harriett had just said Lord Voldemort had the right idea about muggle-borns.

"Lily, we don't have to read it if you don't want. I'll get rid of it. Tonight. We'll pretend like me never knew about it." _That's a lie. We can't pretend. Why am I acting like this is nothing?_

"If she's Harry's guardian…that means that I'm—I'm dead? That James is…no, I can't say that." Lily was trembling. _How would anyone react to being told there going to die? Let alone that they and their husband are going to die, and then that their wizard son is going to grow up in a house of people that hate him._ "You've had this since Monday?" Harriett didn't want to look at her, didn't want to face what was in Lily's eyes, but she couldn't avoid it. _Sympathy! She's looking at me like she's sorry? Her family has just died and she feels sorry for me? What the heck is wrong with these people?_ "I'm so—"

"For the love of chocolate cake Lily, if you apologize to me right now, I will hex you!" Harriett shouted at Lily, getting off of the bed, angry at what she had seen in Lily's eyes. "Seriously, what is wrong with the lot of you? Every time I turn around one of you has this look in your eyes that shows some sort of pity or sympathy or sadness directed at me. Knock it off!"

"It's not our fault that you wear a cloak that basically says wounded heart and emotionally damaged! So don't go yelling at Lily for something that is your fault." Lily and Harriett turned to see a livid Marigold standing in the doorway.

"I don't wear a cloak that says that!"

"You do, too! And even if you didn't have a cloak, it wouldn't be that hard to tell you're insecure and distrustful because you don't tell anyone anything!"

"I do too tell people stuff. Today I told Remus and Sirius a little about my family and I told Lily why I've been upset all week long. So there!" For good measure, Harriett stuck out her tongue.

"You're not denying that your insecure and distrustful of people though. Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why aren't you denying it?"

"You just want me to say that I am!"

"I want you to answer the question!"

"I don't want to! And you can't make!" Marigold's eyes lit up bright and in under fifteen seconds had Harriett running away from her and using Lily as a guard between them. Lily finally put an end to the chase by firing a loud bang in the room.

"I want to start reading now, if you guys don't mind."

"Are you sure?" Harriett asked, somewhat out of breath from being chased by a mad blonde.

"Reading on a Friday night, Lils. Bit keen aren't you?"

"This is the reason Harriett's been acting so weird, Marigold. And yah, Harriett. I'm sure." Marigold looked intrigued at the book: "What is it?" Harriett was about to answer, but Lily interrupted: "Not here. Let's go to the room of requirements to read it. Harriett, is there anyone else you wanted to invite?"

"Are you going to tell James?" Lily looked hesitant, "It's not my choice, Lily. You know as much as I do about it at this point."

"I'll tell James. Eventually. But for now, I just want you guys there. Actually, I want to invite two other girls I'm friend's with. Does that sound okay?"

"It's fine with me. When do you want to start reading it?"

"Tonight. I'll go get the other girls and meet you both at the room of requirement, Marigold knows where it is." Marigold nodded her head, not asking anymore question since it seemed to be pointless to argue.

"Alright."

"Hey, if you are going down to Hufflepuff, can you bring back some food?"

"Why don't you just ask for the room to have a door that leads to the kitchen?"

"Will that work?"

"Yah, that's what I did last year when I was studying."

"Not to but in, but what's the room of requirement?" Harriet asked intrigued.

"You'll see." Lily and Marigold said in union before we picked ourselves off of the floor and started to get ready.

The look on Harriett's face was one of puzzlement and surprise, not that Marigold could blame her. Marigold had been surprised too when Lily had first shown her the room of requirement. Of course, this time, it looked a lot different than it did the first time Lily had shown them the room, but that was just to be expected. Their needs this time were different, after all. And true to Lily's word, an entrance to the Kitchens was made possible. The first thing Marigold did, dragging an unsure Harriett behind her, (_Jeeze, she has the weirdest moments of caution.) _was to go get an order of food for their group to eat. Marigold and Harriett were back in the main room, the food placed on the table, Harriett finally regained the memory to ask: "I thought you had a date tonight?"

Marigold smiled sadly and replied "So did I, but then he realized he'd scheduled dates with I and another girl at the same time by mistake."

"Well that's a new kind of dumdum." Marigold smiled, catching the connection to a muggle candy that Harriett had shown and shared with them as her favorites.

"Worse, he told me about the schedule. I'll never date a Ravenclaw, again."

"Why is it that I have yet to met an intelligent Ravenclaw since I've started school?"

"I'll try not to take that offensively." Marigold and Harriett turned to see Lily had come in with three girls behind her. The one that replied was, of course, a Ravenclaw. _Didn't Lily say that she was only bringing two people?_ Harriett shot back: "Since I haven't met you before now, and I did use the word 'yet', you really can't take that offensively."

One of the girls standing next to Lily giggled as the, presumably, Ravenclaw and auburn haired girl frowned at my retort. "Welcome back, Lily-flower," Harriett exclaimed in her best imitation of Sirius.

"Not you, too!" Lily sighed loudly, but smiled.

"Sounds like someone has been spending a little too much time around a certain Sirius Black." Marigold smiled happily at Harriett who rolled her eyes, but smiled back. Until the auburn girl, in a disapproving voice, said: "That does seem to be the case." _What's that suppose to mean?_ Before Harriett could respond, Lily jumped in with introductions.

The Ravenclaw who Harriett had accidentally offended was Constance Forrester, she was a prefect and a friend of Lily's from Ancient Runes and Ancient Studies class. The disapproving girl ended up being a Hufflepuff named Grace Tracy, she was another friend from classes. _I sense that I'm going to have issues with this one._ The last girl was another Hufflepuff, Darcy Parks, she wanted to be a Healer like Lily, and was a prefect as like Constance, but she was younger than the rest of us by a year.

"Darcy, Grace, and Constance these are two of my roommates Marigold and Harriett." Marigold closed the space between the rest of them and shook their hands. _I guess Lily and her do spend time apart._ Harriett, the least touchy feely of the Gryffindor trio stood where she was and said: "Just call me Hatts or Hattie."

"Has Sirius finally worn you into a nickname?" Marigold said, having finished hugging Darcy, who had an extra large smile.

"He's got a point, Hatts and Hattie have a better ring to it than Harriett."

"You haven't been here very long, have you Harriett?" _I don't know why she doesn't like me, but I know I don't like her because of it._

"Hatts is a transfer student, but Sirius and the other boys have been showing her the ropes when Lily and I couldn't." Darcy diffused the building tension by asking questions about Hattie's old school, since they weren't really questions about herself, they were easy to answer and she didn't have to evade any questions.

"Hey, not to interrupt the q and a, but I think that if we want to get through a chapter before Saturday, we should start now." Marigold said warmly.

"And with that, I take my leave." Marigold and Constance looked at Grace surprised, while Hattie tried not to smile brightly. "I'll see you later, Lily. Don't get lost on your way back to the dorm, Darcy."

"Alright, Grace, thanks for coming for awhile." Darcy said as Lily smiled and waved goodbye. When the door closed behind her both let out a heavy sigh. "I'm really sorry about that Lily, but ever since our parents got married she's felt it's her business to know everything I'm doing."

"She probably means well, Darcy."

"Lily, I'd like to think that of my step-sister, too, but I know for a fact that she writes down anything I do wrong in that little black book of hers and sends a record to our parents every week."

"No offense, but she sounds horrid." Darcy laughed at Hattie's statement, and even Constance smiled a little once she realized what had just happened.

"Does this mean we get to read the mystery book now?"

_Second Moment of Truth tonight_, Hattie looked a Lily waiting for her to begin.

"Who wants' to read about my future sons future first?"


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything relating to JKRowling.

Summary: Harriet Driscoll is a transfer student from Noctar Academy, attending Hogwarts as a Gryffindor for her first and final. As a memento of her time at Noctar, the librarian has sent her a book: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. As a new classmate and friend of the main character's parents, what is Harriet supposed to do?

Note: I don't know if it matters to anyone else, but I have this idea in my head of what my characters look like, and I feel like it's worth mentioning here. Lily Olivia Evans is Isla Fisher. Harriett Johanna Driscoll is Rachel McAdams (Time Traveler's Wife or Family Stone), Marigold Dawn Burns is Hayden Panettiere, Darcy Parks is Eliza Bennet (Inkheart), Grace Tracy is Georgie Henley (Narnia), and Constance Forrester is Anna Popplewell (Narnia). American Schools: Nadova (Nevada), Whooshsky (Wyoming), Misinnipso (Missouri), Noctar (North Carolina)

Second Note: Please review! Thanks

_Previously_: Gemma has a nightmare, Harriett meets the Marauders, Harriet is given a book as a memento from Noctar Academy which is later revealed to be _Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban_, Lily calls James by his first name (off screen), Sirius flirts with Harriet/Hatts/Harry/Hattie, Harriett is oblivious to Sirius flirting, Harriett is confused and irritated by the over abundance of care her new classmates are giving her, Sirius and Harriett squabble over her inability/lack of interest to trust, Harriett reveals parts of her childhood, Harriett has her first fight with Marigold (again over trust), Lily decides not to let James read the book, and Harriett meets Darcy Parks (from Hufflepuff) and Constance Forrester (from Ravenclaw).

**Chapter Four: Hatts, "Owl Post"**

_Second Moment of Truth tonight._

"Who wants' to read about my future sons future first?"

Harriett grabbed the book before any of the girls could make a comment about Lily's statement. _They'll figure it out soon enough_.

**CHAPTER ONE: OWL POST**

**Harry Potter **

M-HA! I knew it!

L-Yes, Marigold, I marry James Potter. (Lily was rolling her eyes, but they could see a smile tugging her lips.)

H-You guys do realize that I've only read six words right? And that four of them were a title to a chapter?

C-Well, if you had read the title or given us a clue what to expect, we wouldn't have to interrupt you two words into the story. (H-_Bleeding know-it-all._)

H-Constance, are you one of those girls who likes to correct other people, because I don't like those girls.

D-Does a name count as two words? I mean isn't it one proper noun?

L-You know what, this doesn't interest me nearly as much as my son's life, so getting back to that.

H-Yah, alright.

**was a highly unusual boy in many ways. **

C-Number one, he's James Potter's son. (H-_Seriously, what is everyone's issues with the Marauders?_)

M-James isn't that unusual.

H-Guys, I haven't even finished a whole two sentences yet.

**For one thing, he hated the summer holidays more than any other time of the year. **

M-Are you sure this is your son Lily?

H-Marigold, be warned, I will hex you.

**For another, he really wanted to do his homework, **

H-Not a word Marigold!

**but was forced to do it in secret, in the dead of night. **

D-Well that's weird.

**And he also happened to be a wizard.**

C-That's not unusual.

H-Nope, just not overly common.

**It was nearly midnight, and he was lying on his front in bed, the blankets drawn right over his head like a tent, a torch in one hand and a large leather-bound book (**_**A History of Magic **_**by Bathilda Bagshot) propped open against the pillow. Harry moved the tip of his eagle-feather quill**

D-Those write terribly well. I got one for my birthday last year.

**down the page, frowning as he looked for something that would help him write his essay, 'Witch-Burning in the Fourteenth Century Was Completely Pointless - Discuss'.**

D-I had to write that essay last year. It was awfully difficult, since I live in the muggle world. All I could find in my book was about Wendelin the Weird.

M-How come you don't threaten to hex Darcy when she talks?

H-Maybe I like her better than you.

M-No offense to Darcy, but you do not like her better than me. I'm 100% lovable.

H-Yes, but Darcy doesn't attack me with 100% lovable-ness in the middle of the day for no reason.

M-What is your issue against hugs in the mid afternoon? (H-_Besides the fact it's weird?)_

**The quill paused at the top of a likely-looking paragraph. Harry pushed his round glasses up his nose, moved his torch closer to the book and read: 'Non- Magic people (more commonly known as muggles) were particularly afraid of magic in medieval times, but not very good at recognizing it. On the rare occasion they did catch a real witch or wizard, burning had no effect what so ever. The witch or wizard would perform a basic flame freezing charm, and then pretend to shriek in pain while enjoying a gentle, tickling sensation. **

L-You know, I never thought of this before, but if they were suppose to burn at the stake and the used that charm so that they didn't, how did they explain, once the fire went out, why they were still alive. I mean didn't they watch withes being burnt as enjoyment then?

C-Maybe they apparated?

L-But then there wouldn't be a body, isn't that a little suspicious?

H-Might I suggest you look it up later?

**Indeed, Wendelin the Weird enjoyed being burned so much that she allowed herself to be caught no less than forty-seven times in various disguises.**

C-I wonder if she wrote a book. I mean there has to be a record of the 47 times she's done it.

M-What I want to know is if she managed to get into the Wizards World Records.

**Harry put his quill between his teeth and reached underneath his pillow for his ink bottle and a roll of parchment. Slowly and very carefully he unscrewed the ink bottle, dipped his quill into it and began to write, pausing every now and then to listen, because if any of the Dursley's**

M-I'm sorry, who?

**the Dursley's**

M-Who?

**the Dursley's**

C-You repeating to her their name doesn't clear up who they are.

H-My bad, I thought she couldn't hear me.

**the Dursley's heard the scratching of his quill on their way to the bathroom, he'd probably find himself locked in the cupboard**

L-WHAT?

H-I'd rather not repeat that if it's all the same to you.

L-What does he mean under the cupboard? Why would they lock him in a cupboard!

H-Lily, I think you are scaring Darcy. And to be honest, as the person who is hold the book you are currently pointing a wand at threateningly, I'm a little scared of you too.

M- Lily, sweetie, sit down. We won't know until Hatts reads.

C-I may be wrong, but I think that was an implied order, Hattie. (H-_She's bossy, too. Why can't she be sweet like Darcy? So much easier to deal with if she was. Although she has relented on calling me Harriett._)

**under the stairs for the rest of the summer.**

L- For the rest of the…the

C-For the love of Lily, don't stop reading there, Hattie!

**The Dursley family of number four, Privet Drive, was the reason that Harry never enjoyed his summer holidays. Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia **

L-I never thought that I would say this, but I'm going to hex her till it hurts when I get a hold of her scrawny neck.

M-I'll help you.

C-I'll make sure you don't go to Azkaban for it.

D-I'll make sure you're treated nice when you do go there.

H-I will keep reading, and hopefully none of us with have to do anything else.

**and their son, Dudley, were Harry's only living relatives. **

(Hattie witnessed the shocked and worried reactions. At this point in the story, Lily's name hadn't been mentioned, but they knew it was her son, because anyone who knew Lily had at least heard of Petunia and Potter.)

M-Lily?

C-What do they mean by that?

D-Oh, Lily!

**They were Muggles, and they had a very medieval attitude towards magic.**

L - Medieval. That really was the best way to put it.

**Harry's dead parents, **

(Hattie wished there had been a better introduction to that fact, but as there wasn't, she'd have to make do with the reactions she received. Everyone rushed over to Lily, like she was about to fall off right there. While Lily was still pale, she otherwise took the news calmly; she didn't want to scare her friends with her own fears and sadness with the situation.)

MCD-LILY!

L-I know, I know. Hatts told me before we read the book.

M-But, but-

C-That book is evil. (H: _Another Ravenclaw who is an idiot. I don't believe she just called my book evil. A hell of a find? Yes, but not evil._)

H-It's not evil, you idiot. It's what we are going to use in order to save Lily's life. And James' and, I believe by the sound of things, Harry's life as well. So hush it up.

**who had been a witch and wizard themselves, were never mentioned under the Dursleys' roof. **

M-Are you sure we can't hex her till it hurts anyways. I mean she might have done this if we gave her the chance to do it, so she's sort of guilty even if we save Lily-flower.

H-When you put it that way…

L- You guys!

**For years, Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had hoped that if they kept Harry as downtrodden as possible,**

D-I'm in for hexing.

C-You can't, you'll still be underage when we graduate and go kick her butt.

H-Is Prefect Connie in?

C-What did you just call me?

**they would be able to squash the magic out of him. To their fury, they had been unsuccessful and now lived in terror of anyone finding out that Harry had spent most of the last two years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.**

L-She's just jealous because she couldn't go!

**The most the Dursleys could do these days was to lock away Harry's spell books, wand, cauldron and broomstick at the start of the summer holidays, and forbid him to talk to the neighbors.**

M-A prisoner in the only home he probably knows at thirteen. Those jerks.

**This separation from his spellbooks had been a real problem for Harry, because his teachers at Hogwarts had given him a lot of holiday work. One of these essays, a particularly nasty one about Shrinking Potions, was for Harry's least favorite teacher, **

M-Binns

C-Sprout

D-Kettleburn

H-You know, I don't think I've ever had a least favorite teacher before. I'm never really at a school long enough to form one.

M-That's a little sad, having a teacher you can't stand is part of the whole education process. It sets you up so you know how to deal with your future boss.

L-Really, Marigold!

C-Do you really not have a teacher that you can't stand, Lily?

D-Come on Lily, there has to be at least one that gets under your skins a little.

M- One that does things that tick you off, even if it's not directed at you.

H-I've got it! I'll get Slughorn to be my least favorite. Look, Lily-flower, now you have to pick a least favorite teacher, cause even I have one!

L- Fine! I don't like the divinations teacher.

M-You don't take divinations.

L-Because I don't like the teacher!

**Professor Snape, **

M-Wouldn't want him as a teacher either, Hatts, but I'm pretty sure that we are going to graduate from Hogwarts before Snape becomes a professor.

C-I think she was reading the book, Marigold.

M-Oh. Oh! Oh, that poor boy. Snape is going to be awful to him.

L-He might not…

H-Wait, why should he be awful to him?

M-Remember when Lily said you should have been here a couple years back?

H-Yah…

M-Basically, James and Snape had a war going on inside the castle.

D-It was absolutely ridiculous, there were people getting into the fights claiming to be Team Potter and Team Slytherin.

C-That is a complete exaggeration, Darcy.

H-What were they fighting over?

MCD-Lily.

L-They were not!

M-Okay, so they fought over a lot of things, mostly just hexed one another because the other one was available to hex, and don't let Lily's give you the speal about it was all James' fault because it wasn't and she knows it.

L-I didn't say it was all his fault!

C-And yet, you never yelled at Snape for hexing James.

L-Because James was stronger than Snape, and James knew it.

M-…I'm not allowed to tell James that, am I?

L-NO! Hattie, please read.

**who would be delighted to have an excuse to give Harry detention for a month. **

M- Two sickles says that Harry looks exactly like James.

C-Eyes and hair color? Or body size?

M-…mmm. I think I say that he has the same physique, hair color and eye color as James.

C-Alight, I say same physique and hair color, but Lily's eyes.

L-Why are you betting on my son's genetics?

D-I side with Marigold.

H-Then I'll take up with Connie. You in Lily-flower?

L-I'll take Hattie and Connie's side.

C-Unbelievable, in the six years you've known me you've never once called me Connie until now. I blame Black for this.

H-But he isn't even here.

C-Doesn't mean he's not to blame.

L-…Connie and Sirius used to date.

C-Lily!

H-Oh like I care who you dated. I'm going back to the story.

**Harry had therefore seized his chance in the first week of the holidays.  
>While Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia and Dudley had gone out into the front garden to admire Uncle Vernon's new company car (in very loud voices, so that the rest of the street would notice it too),<strong>

D-I have neighbors who do that. It's really annoying. They woke up my baby sister with their bragging once.**  
>Harry had crept downstairs, picked the lock<strong>

L-Oh goodness, he's going to be a troublemaker like his father.

H-But James turns out alright in the end; I mean he does convince you to marry him and have a child with him, after all.

C-And then they all lived, except scratch that, because they didn't all live happily ever after.

H-Fairytales are for grim brothers, not intelligent witches.

L-Grim Brothers and fairytales, that's funny.

**on the cupboard under the stairs,**

L-Where Petunia used to make him sleep, bloody bat.

**grabbed some of his books and hidden them in his bedroom. As long as he didn't leave spots of ink on the sheets, the Dursleys need never know that he was studying magic by night. **

**Harry had been keen to avoid trouble with his aunt and uncle at the moment,**

M-Okay, so maybe he isn't exactly like James.

L-Actually, they haven't caused too much trouble since they've been back. Other than the opening feast, which, at this point, is almost a tradition for them, and so I can't really hold it against them.

C-You're taking this whole being married to the boy who annoyed the hell out of you for years easier than I expected you too.

D-I did try to tell you that she was in denial, Connie.

C-You, too? Harriett!

**as they were already in a bad mood with him, all because he'd received a telephone call from a fellow wizard**

D-Must have been a pureblood

**one week into the school holidays.****Ron Weasley, **

D-I was right.

M-Why does that name ring a bell though?

L-I don't know why it rings a bell to you, but I know that Molly Prewett was the last Head Girl from Gryffindor and that she married Arthur Weasley once they got out of school. James told me that they've got three kids now.

C-How does James know them?

L-Molly has two younger brothers, Fabian and Gideon. James said that they encouraged him and his friends to cause mayhem wherever possible in their first year because the twins were graduating that year.

H-Do you think the Marauders will do the same for another group of kids?

C-I hope not.

D-I hope so. Oh, don't give me that look, Connie. There jokes are pretty funny.

M-She's got a point, the world needs a little laughter.

**who was one of Harry's best friends at Hogwarts, came from a whole family of wizards. This meant that he knew a lot of things Harry didn't, but had never used a telephone before.**

H-All of you know what a telephone is, right?

MLCD-Yes.

H-Thank you, Muggle Studies.**  
>Most unluckily, it had been Uncle Vernon who had answered the call.<strong>

**"Vernon Dursley speaking." Harry, who happened to be in the room at the time, froze as he heard Ron's voice answer. **

**"HELLO?**

H-Oh, for the love of chocolate. He' screamed?

C-Feel free not to do so yourself.

H-What would be the fun in that?

L-You'll lose your voice.

H-Point to Lily-flower.

**HELLO? CAN YOU HEAR ME? I - WANT - TO - TALK - TO - HARRY - POTTER!"****Ron was yelling so loudly that Uncle Vernon jumped and held the receiver a foot away from his ear, staring at it with an expression of mingled fury and alarm.**

**"WHO IS THIS?" he roared in the direction of the mouthpiece. "WHO ARE YOU?"****  
>"RON - WEASLEY!" Ron bellowed back, as though he and Uncle Vernon were speaking from opposite ends of a football pitch. "I'M - A - FRIEND - <strong>

D-He isn't going to be stupid enough to say that he's from Hogwarts, right?

C-Even if he is, all he has to do is call again and lower his volume or change his voice. I doubt that Vernon would figure it out.

M- I bet you that they don't do that though.

**OF - HARRY'S - FROM - SCHOOL -"**

L-No offense to Harry's choice in friends, but of all the brainless things to say.**  
>Uncle Vernon's small eyes swiveled around to Harry, who was rooted to the spot.<strong>

**"THERE IS NO HARRY POTTER HERE!"**

M-HE LIES! What a bad example for children to follow!

H-And yet, you refuse to talk around a sneakascope.

M-Who's children am I corrupting by doing that?

H-Darcy, sweetie, cover your ear, I don't want you to hear what the bad role model has to say.

M- Stuff it.

D-Did she just say fluff it?

**he roared, now holding the receiver at arms length, as though frightened it might explode. "I DON'T KNOW WHAT SCHOOL YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!**

M-And the lies keep rolling.

**NEVER CONTACT ME AGAIN! DON'T YOU COME NEAR MY FAMILY!"**

C-I'm pretty sure that no one wants to come near your family; besides Lily and Harry, your family sounds awful.

L-Mum and Dad are great, it's just Petty who's being…petty.

**And he threw the receiver back onto the telephone as if dropping a poisonous spider.****The row that had followed had been one of the worst ever.**

L- DON'T YOU DARE YELL AT MY SON! You, you, Dirt Bag!

H-You don't know how to curse, do you Lily-flower.

L-Cursing isn't nice….

M-That would be the point of why you aren't suppose to do it, unless that person deserves it. Like Vernon.

**"HOW DARE YOU GIVE THIS NUMBER TO PEOPLE LIKE - PEOPLE LIKE YOU?" Uncle Vernon roared spraying Harry with spit.**

D-Who else was he expecting Harry to give his phone number too? A Piglet? What a silly man.

C-I think he meant wizards, Darcy, not friendly humans.**  
>Ron obviously realized that he'd gotten Harry into trouble, because he hadn't called again. <strong>

M- Maybe it's just the age gap, because it sounds like a fairly obvious decision to try again with a voice change to me.

**Harry's other best friend from Hogwarts, Hermione **

C-Are you sure you pronounced that right?

H-Does it really matter in the grand scheme of things?

C-Details are important.

H-But does this actually matter in the grand scheme of things?

C-…I suppose-

H-Okay, the answer was no. No it does not matter. Now stop correcting people!

**Hermione Granger, hadn't been in touch either. Harry suspected that Ron had warned Hermione not to call, which was a pity, because Hermione, the cleverest witch in Harry's year**

M-Well, I guess that you won't have to worry about him failing school if he's got the smartest girl in the school as a best friend.

L-Sadly, I was thinking the same thing. Which is awful, because for all I know now, he could be terribly bright.

**, had Muggle parents, **

D-Bet you anything that she's a know-it-all.

L-What makes you say that?

M-Lily, do you remember what you were like at 13?

H-…Was it really that bad?

C-Worse.

L-You guys!

C-I'm sorry, Lily, but you were irritatingly intelligent.

**knew perfectly well how to use a telephone, and would probably have enough sense not to say that she went to Hogwarts.**

H-Well at least Harry knew that Ron had been stupid to mention the school.**  
>So Harry had had no word from any of his wizarding friends for five long weeks,<strong>

M- Sad.

L-I know. I don't think I went two days without getting a letter from one of you guys over the summer.

H-_I wonder what that's like._

**and this summer was turning out to be almost as bad as the last one. **

L-What happened last summer?

H-I guess that answers my questions if there were more books. It seemed strange to me that the series would start with him at twelve.

**There was one, very small improvement: after swearing that he wouldn't use her to send any letters to any of his friends**

M-Why the heck not?

**Harry had been allowed to let his owl, Hedwig, out at night.****Uncle Vernon had given in because of the racket Hedwig made if she was locked in her cage all the time.**

D-Bloody owl abuse, that is.**  
>Harry finished writing about Wendelin the Weird and paused to listen again. The silence in the dark house was broken only by the distant, grunting snores of his enormous cousin, Dudley.<strong>**It must be very late. Harry's eyes were itching with tiredness.****Perhaps he'd finish this essay tomorrow night...**

L-Yes, dear. Get some sleep.

M-Mayday, mayday. Lily has gone Mother on us. This is a red heart alert.

L-Fluff it.

M-…what?

L-You heard me!**  
>He replaced the top of the ink bottle, pulled an old pillowcase from under his bed, put the torch,<strong>_**A History of Magic,**_**his essay, quill and ink inside it, got out of bed and hid the lot under a loose floorboard**

D-I always wanted one of those.

C-Bet you wish you had one now that you have Grace.

D-Nah, I'd get lazy and she would find my secret stash and report it.

H-Does she seriously have nothing better to do?

D-Other than to disapprove of me and Sirius Black? No.

L-Sirius dated Grace, too.

H-Ah! I understand now.

M-No you don't.

H-You're right, I don't. And I don't think I want to, so back to reading.

**under his bed. Then he stood up, stretched, and checked the time on the luminous alarm clock on his bedside table.**

**It was one o'clock in the morning. Harry's stomach gave a funny jolt. He had been thirteen years old, without realizing it, for a whole hour. **

M-Aw, Lily. Your son was born at midnight!

C-Was he? Or does he just start celebrating his new age at the beginning of the day he was born?

L-Why are you asking me like I should know this?

**Yet another unusual thing about Harry was how little he looked forward to his birthdays.**

M-Which is completely opposite of your parents, who go INSANE on their birthdays.

L-Neither one of us go insane…we just like to enjoy the day to the fullest. And so will he, once I figure out a way to fix this.

**He had never received a birthday card in his life.**

D-Accio pen and paper!

L-What are you doing?

D-Writing your son his first birthday card ever!

H-But…you know what, knock yourself out.

**The Dursleys had completely ignored his last two birthdays, **

M- Jerks.

**and he has no reason to suppose they would remember this one. Harry walked across the dark room, past Hedwig's large, empty cage, to the open window. He leaned on the sill, the cool night air pleasant on his face after a long time under the blankets. Hedwig had been absent for two nights now. Harry wasn't worried about her- she'd been gone this long before- but he hoped she'd be back soon.** **She was the only living creature in this house who didn't flinch at the sight of him.**

H-Ladies, this is the moment of truth. They are about to describe Lily's future son's outer appearance. Are you ready?**  
>Harry, though still rather small and skinny for his age,<strong>

M-James

**had grown a few inches over the last year. His jet-black hair,**

H-James

**however, was just as it always had been: stubbornly untidy, whatever he did to it.**

L-James**  
>The eyes behind his glasses were bright green,<strong>

C-LILY. Losers pay up.

MD-Damn.

**and on his forehead, clearly visible through his hair was a thin scar, shaped like a bolt of lightning.**

L-What happened? Why does he have a scar on his head?

H-I'm getting there, I'm getting there.

**Of all the unusual things about Harry, this scar was the most extraordinary of all. It was not, as the Dursleys had pretended for ten years, a souvenir of the car crash that had killed Harry's parents, because Lily and James Potter had not died in a car crash.**

C-A CAR CRASH!

M-KILL LILY & JAMES!

D-WHY THOSE AWFUL, HORRIBLE, LYING FLUFFERS!

(Hattie, who had already read up to this part, pushed off some extra tears and looked to see Lily's reaction to the news. She was pale, and obviously angry, but to sad to say anything about her sister.)

H-…Lily-flower?

L-I'm fine, keep reading, Hattie.

**They had been murdered,**

L-Keep going.

**murdered by the most feared Dark wizard for a hundred years, Lord Voldemort.**

M-Oh, Lily.

D-Oh my goodness, Lily. You and James and that that…

L-Keep reading.

**Harry had escaped from the same attack**

CDM-What?

L-Oh my gosh, I don't believe it.

**with nothing more than a scar on his forehead, when Voldemort's curse,**

L-HE TRIED TO CURSE MY BABY!

**instead of killing him,**

L-HETRIED TO KILL MY BABY?

**had rebounded upon its originator.**

L-My baby did what?

D-That is without a doubt, the most awesome baby I have ever heard of.

C-Agreed…

**Barely alive, Voldemort had fled...**

M-So, so Voldemort is gone in the future. Lily's baby made him leave?**  
>But Harry had come face to face with him since<strong>

H-I guess that means he fled and then regained power and came back.

**at Hogwarts.**

D-But Hogwarts is suppose to be the safest place in the Wizarding World!

L-Where the hell was Albus for this?

M-Does hell count as a cuss word?

C-It's technically a place, even though I'm not sure she used it correctly in the sentence.

**Remembering their last meeting as he stood at the dark window, Harry had to admit he was lucky even to have reached his thirteenth birthday.**

M-Okay, so he is somewhat like his father.

H-How is James lucky to have reached 13?

M-Well, really it's all four of them and they are lucky to have reached 17, because I was sure that McGonagall was going to kill them a couple of times.

**He scanned the starry sky for a sign of Hedwig, perhaps soaring back to him with a dead mouse in her beak, expecting praise.****Gazing absently over the rooftops, it was a few seconds before Harry realized what he was seeing.****Silhouetted against the golden moon, and growing larger every moment, was a large, strangely lopsided creature, and it was flapping in Harry's direction. He stood quite still, watching it sink lower and lower. For a split second, he hesitated, his hand on the window-latch, wondering whether to slam it shut, but then the bizarre creature soared over one of the street lamps of Privet Drive, and Harry, realizing what it was, leapt aside.**

**Through the window soared three owls, two of them holding up the third, which appeared to be unconscious. **

D-Aw. Why must people uses owls on journeys they can't make. It's lucky the owl found two more to help him, he could have died!

M-So the owl must belong to Harry's friend Ron, then.

**They landed with a soft**_**flump**_**on Harry's bed, and the middle owl, which was large and grey, keeled right over and lay motionless. There was a package tied to its legs. Harry recognized the unconscious owl at once- his name was Errol, and he belonged to the Weasley family.**

L-Really, Ron, what could have possessed you?

M-Mother Mode has engaged.

**Harry dashed to the bed at once, untied the cords around Errol's legs, took off the parcel and then carried Errol off to Hedwig's cage. Errol opened one bleary eye, gave a feeble hoot of thanks, and began to gulp down some water.****  
><strong>D-Your son is a good boy, Lily.

C-So he does have something from Lily other than his eyes. I was worried.

L-What is that suppose to mean?**  
>Harry turned back to the remaining owls. One of them, the larger snowy female, was his own Hedwig. She, too, was carrying a parcel, and looked extremely pleased with herself. She gave Harry an affectionate nip with her beak as he removed her burden, then flew across the room to join Errol.<strong>**Harry didn't recognize the third owl, a handsome tawny one, but he knew at once where it had come from, because in addition to a third parcel, it was carrying a letter bearing the Hogwarts crest.****  
>When Harry relieved this owl of its post it ruffled its feathers importantly, stretched its wings and took off through the window into the night.<strong>**Harry sat down on his bed, grabbed Errol's package, ripped off the brown paper and discovered a present wrapped in gold, and his first ever birthday card. **

D-Aw, that' so sweet.

C-Are you still going to give him your card?

D-Well, yah!

**Fingers trembling slightly, he opened the envelope. Two pieces of paper fell out- a letter and a newspaper cutting.****  
>The cutting had clearly come out of the wizarding newspaper, the Daily Prophet, because the people in the black and white picture were moving. Harry picked it up, smoothed it out and read:<strong>**  
>MINISTRY OF MAGIC EMPLOYEE SCOOPS GRAND PRIZE<strong>

**Arthur Weasley, Head of Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office at the Ministry of Magic, has won the annual Daily Prophet Grand Prize Galleon Draw. A delighted Mr. Weasley told the Daily Prophet, "We will be spending the gold on a summer holiday in Egypt, where our eldest son, Bill, works as a curse breaker for Gringotts Wizarding Bank. The Weasley family will be spending a month in Egypt, returning for the start of the new school year at Hogwarts, which five of the Weasley children attend. **

L-Apparently they have more kids as time goes on.

H-Do you think they stopped at five?

**Harry scanned the moving photograph, and a grin spread across his face as he saw all nine of the Weasleys**

C-They had 7 Kids?

M-That's a lot of love to go around.

**waving furiously at him, standing in front of a very large pyramid. Plump little Mrs. Weasley; tall, balding Mr Weasley; six sons; and one daughter, all (though the black and white picture didn't show it) with flaming red hair. Right in the middle of the picture was Ron, tall and gangling, with his pet rat Scabbers on his shoulder and his arm around his little sister, Ginny. Harry couldn't think of anyone who deserved to win a large pile of gold more than the Weasleys, who were very nice and extremely poor. He picked up Ron's letter and unfolded it.**

_**Dear Harry**_

_**Happy birthday! Look, I'm really sorry about that telephone call. I hope the Muggles didn't give you a hard time. I asked dad, and he reckons I shouldn't have shouted.**_

M-That one needs to take Muggle Studies.

_**It's brilliant here in Egypt. Bill's taken us round all the tombs and you wouldn't believe the curses those old Egyptian wizards put on them. Mum wouldn't let Ginny come in the last one. There were all these mutant skeletons in there, of Muggles who'd broken in and grown extra heads and stuff.  
><strong>_C-That sounds completely unpleasant.

D-Seconded.

_**I couldn't believe it when Dad won the Daily Prophet Draw. Seven hundred Galleons! Most of its gone on this holiday, but they're going to buy me a new wand for next year.**_

**Harry remembered only too well the occasion when Ron's old wand had snapped.**

M-Jeez, what's with this guy?

**It had happened when the car the two of them had been flying**

L-They did what?

H- Let me finish

**The car the two of them had been flying to Hogwarts had crashed into a tree in the school grounds.**

M-That's amazing!

D-That's awful!

C-They could have gotten us found out!

H-They could have gotten hurt.

L-His father will be over the roof.

C-…seriously, Lily? That's what you think first?

_**We'll be back about a week before term starts and we'll be going up to London to get my wand and our new books. Any chance of meeting you there?**_

_**Don't let the Muggles get you down!**_

_**Try and come to London,**_

_**Ron**___**  
><strong>_**P.S. Percy's Head Boy. He got the letter last week.**_

**Harry glanced back at the photograph. Percy, who was in his seventh and final year at Hogwarts,**

M-Aww, like us.

C-Well, most of us.

**was looking particularly smug. He had pinned his Head Boy's badge to the fez perched jauntily on top of his neat hair, his horn-rimmed glasses flashing in the Egyptian sun.****Harry now turned to his present and unwrapped it. Inside was what looked like a miniature glass spinning top. There was another note from Ron beneath it.**

_**Harry - this is a Pocket Sneakoscope.**_

H-Of which, Marigold has a phobia.

M-I do not!

_**If there's someone untrustworthy around, it's supposed to light up and spin. Bill says it's rubbish sold for wizard tourists and isn't reliable, because it kept lighting up at dinner last night. But he didn't realize Fred and George had put beetles in his soup.**_

_**- Ron.**_

**Harry put the Pocket Sneakoscope on his bedside table, where it stood quite still, balanced on its point, reflecting the luminous hands of his clock. He looked at it happily for a few seconds, then picked up the parcel Hedwig had brought.****Inside this, too, there was wrapped a present, a card, and a letter, this time from Hermione.**

_**Dear Harry,**_

_**Ron wrote to me about his phone call to your Uncle Vernon. I do hope you're all right.**___**  
><strong>_**I'm on holiday in France at the moment and I didn't know how I was going to send this too you - what if they'd opened it at Customs?**_

D-Isn't there someone who working at customs from the magical world?

C-Yes, that's what my uncle does.

_**But then Hedwig turned up! I think she wanted to make sure you got something for your birthday for a change.**_

L-I like that owl!_**  
>I bought your present by owl-order; there was an advertisement in the<strong>___**Daily Prophet**___**(I've been getting it delivered, it's so good to keep up with what's going on in the wizarding world).**_**  
><strong>_**Did you see that picture of Ron and his family a few weeks ago? I bet he's learning loads, I'm really jealous - the ancient Egyptian wizards were fascinating.  
>There's some interesting local history of witchcraft here, too. I've rewritten my whole History of Magic essay to include some of the things I've found out. I hope it's not too long, it's two rolls of parchment more than Professor Binns asked for. <strong>_

L-Okay, even I wasn't that bad!

M-No, you were one and a half rolls over.

_**Ron says he's going to London in the last week of the holidays. Can you make it? Will your aunt and uncle let you come?**_

_**I really hope you can. If not, I'll see you on the Hogwarts Express on September the first!**___**  
><strong>_**Love from**_

_**Hermione**_

_**P.S. Ron says Percy's Head Boy. I'll bet Percy's really pleased. Ron doesn't seem too happy about it.**___**  
>Harry laughed again as he put Hermione's letter aside and picked up her present. It was very heavy.<strong>**Knowing Hermione, he was sure it would be a large book full of very difficult spells - but it wasn't.  
>His heart gave a huge bound as he ripped back the paper and saw a sleek black leather case with silver words stamped across it:<strong>_**Broomstick Servicing Kit.**_

MLH- JAMES!

L-You know that I finally played a game last year? It's a lot harder than I thought.

D-I told you so!

**"Wow, Hermione!" Harry whispered, unzipping the case to look inside.****There was a large jar of Fleetwood's High-Finish Handle Polish, a pair of gleaming silver Tail-Twig Clippers, a tiny brass compass to clip onto your broom for long journeys, and a **_**Handbook of Do-It-Yourself Broomcare.**___**Apart from his friends, the thing that Harry missed most about Hogwarts was Quidditch, the most popular sport in the magical world- highly dangerous, very exciting and played on broomsticks. Harry happened to be a very good Quidditch player; he had been the youngest person in a century to be picked for one of the Hogwarts house teams.**

D-No way! He got picked as a first year?

C-I wonder how he did that.

L-Something I liked to know too, although I guarantee that it was something dangerous.

**One of Harry's most prized possessions was his Nimbus Two Thousand racing broom. **

**Harry put the leather case aside and picked up his last parcel. He recognized the untidy scrawl on the brown paper at once: this was from Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper.**

H-Who's Hagrid?

M-We haven't introduced him to you yet?

L-We'll go see him tomorrow. You'll love him. Most everyone who knows him does.

**He tore off the top layer of the paper and glimpsed something green and leathery, but before he could unwrap it properly, the parcel gave a strange quiver, and whatever was inside it snapped loudly- as though it had jaws.**

L-Oh, dear.

H-What?

C-Hagrid has a tendency to see

D-Something dangerous as harmless

**Harry froze. He knew that Hagrid would never send him anything dangerous on purpose, but then, Hagrid didn't have a normal person's view of what was dangerous. **

M-Oh look, he's already learned from experience.

**Hagrid had been known to befriend giant spiders, buy vicious, three-headed dogs from men in pubs and sneak illegal dragon eggs into his cabin.****Harry poked the parcel nervously. It snapped loudly again. Harry reached for the lamp on his bedside table, gripped it firmly in one hand and raised it over his head, ready to strike. Then he seized the rest of the wrapping paper in his other hand and pulled.**

**And out fell - a book. **

M-Well that was anticlimactic.

**Harry just had time to register its handsome green cover, emblazoned with the golden title,**_**the Monster Book of Monsters,**___**before it flipped onto its edge and scuttled sideways along the bed like some weird crab.**

**"Uh oh," Harry muttered.****The book toppled off the bed with a loud clunk and shuffled rapidly across the room. Harry followed it stealthily. The book was hiding in the dark space under his desk. Praying that the Dursleys were still fast asleep, Harry got down on his hands and knees and reached for it.****  
>"Ouch!"The book snapped shut on his hand and then flapped past him, still scuttling on its covers. Harry scrambled around, threw himself forward and managed to flatten it. Uncle Vernon gave a loud, sleepy grunt in the room next door.<strong>**Hedwig and Errol watched interestingly as Harry clamped the struggling book tight in his arms, **

M- It occurs to me that it's a good thing the boys aren't here to read this. They would get ideas.

**hurried to the chest of drawers and pulled out a belt, which he buckled tightly around it.****The**_**Monster Book**_**shuddered angrily, but could no longer flap and snap, so Harry threw it down on the bed and reached for Hagrid's card.**

_**Dear Harry,**_

_**Happy Birthday!**_

_**Think you might find this useful for next year. Won't say no more here. Tell you when I see you.**___**  
><strong>_**Hope the Muggles are treating you right.**_

_**All the best,**_

_**Hagrid.**___**  
>It struck Harry as ominous that Hagrid thought a biting book would come in useful,<strong>

L-As it should. Love Hagrid, as I do, he isn't always the most cautious of individuals.

**but he put up Hagrid's card next to Ron and Hermione's, grinning more broadly than ever. Now there was only the letter from Hogwarts left.****Noticing that it was rather thicker than usual, Harry slit open the envelope, pulled out the first page of parchment within and read:**

_**Dear Mr Potter,**_

_**Please note that the new school year will begin on September the first. The Hogwarts Express will leave from King's Cross Station, platform nine and three-quarters, at eleven o'clock.**_

_**Third-years are permitted to visit the village of Hogsmeade at certain weekends. Please give the enclosed permission form to your parent or guardian to sign.**____**A list of books for next year is enclosed.**_

_**Yours sincerely,**_

_**Professor M. McGonagall**___

M-Minnie!

H-Don't let her hear you call her that.

L-Says the girl who has and didn't get caught doing it.

H-That was such a lucky break.

_**Deputy Headmistress**___

**Harry pulled out the Hogsmeade permission form and looked at it, no longer grinning.**

M-What is wrong with your kid, Lily?

**It would be wonderful to visit Hogsmeade at weekends; he knew it was an entirely wizarding village, and he had never set foot in there. But how on earth was he going to persuade Uncle Vernon or Aunt Petunia to sign the form?**

M-Oh.

H-Why doesn't he just forge it? One of his friends must know how to forge.

L-That's illegal.

D-So is owl abuse, and yet people get away with it every year.**  
>He looked over at the alarm clock. It was now two o'clock in the morning. Deciding that he'd worry about the Hogsmeade form when he woke up, Harry got back into bed and reached up to cross off another day on the chart he'd made for himself, counting down the days left until his return to Hogwarts. Then he took off his glasses and lay down, eyes open, facing his three<strong>**birthday cards.**

**Extremely unusual though he was, at that moment Harry Potter felt just like everyone else: glad, for the first time in his life, that it was his birthday.**

Lily quietly wished him a happy birthday as Hattie closed the book. All the girls sat quiet for a moment, not knowing how to react to the devastating future of one of their party or the unfair treatment her only son received due to no fault of his own.

"Lily-flower?" Lily looked up at Hattie and gave a small smile.

"You were right, this isn't a happy book." _I'm sorry._ "But I'm glad we are reading it. Now I know what's going to happen, and I'm going to damn well change it."

"Well then, mind if I read next?" Hattie handed the book to Marigold, and sat back in her chair to listen to the next chapter of Prisoner of Azkaban.


End file.
